Rest, Relax and Retreat

I guess it mostly has to do with the values my family/parents instilled in me growing up, but I was raised with a strong work ethic (Colossians 3:23 comes to mind). I tend to live by the motto that if there is something I know needs to be done and I have the time/ability/resources, I am more than happy to take care of it, especially if it helps someone else out. I also feel very strongly about fulfilling my responsibilities, even going above and beyond the call of duty when it's beneficial. I'm a self-confessed people-pleaser, too; when I'm asked to do something, I try to take a servant attitude and do the task in a timely manner with no questions asked, even if it means temporarily dropping whatever else I might be working on (not to mention that I'm sometimes afraid I will forget the request if I don't do it right away!). However, it's quite distressing to realize when I've evidently let somebody down or they are otherwise somehow disappointed in me. Having said all that, God has recently been showing me that I can take time to rest/relax and still finish the work I need to do, and that as uncomfortable as it is, I should strive to stifle the urge to go the extra mile and reign in my sense of conscientiousness. In particular, I'm seeing that more specifically reorganizing my work schedule should help in these areas. On a retreat with our Sanctuary Choir this weekend, the importance of stopping to tap into God's power periodically was alluded to, which I for one needed the reminder that such times are not indicative of laziness, but are well-worth it! In addition, the sermon in our worship service today centered on Elijah's crisis of faith in relationship to God's call on his life/work as an example of how a different perspective can eventually lead to a renewed commitment in terms of serving God and others with our vocation. God looks for and appreciates an attitude of willingness from us, even if we aren't necessarily the person He may end up using for the task at hand. Asking for help can be very difficult for me, not so much from the standpoint of actually needing it to get something done, but the cost in time/effort to the helper. Most of these ideas are really nothing new to me, but they are ones which definitely belong in my easier-to-know-in-the-head-than-put-into-practice-from-the-heart category, and will take some patience and discipline as I continue to develop a better balance between my willingness to help others and realizing that they most likely want to experience the same joy as well!